As Washington's John Riggins had the year before, running back Marcus Allen made a spectacular run the signature play of the game. While the Raiders set a Super Bowl record for points and victory margin in their 38-9 win over Washington, it was Allen's 74-yard touchdown run on the final play of the third quarter that was the highlight of the team's impressive victory.

After taking a handoff from quarterback Jim Plunkett, Allen headed around left end. Bottled up there, he reversed field, turned the right corner and evaded several Redskins' tacklers on the way to the end zone. The run broke a record of 58 yards set by Tom Matte in Super Bowl III

Allen scored his first Super Bowl touchdown midway through the third quarter. His 5-yard run finished off a 70-yard Los Angeles drive. Allen, the Most Valuable Player, broke Riggins' Super Bowl rushing record with 191 yards on 20 carries.